Bulloch Mine - Settlement
This area can be reached by going up into the mountains, enter the cave mouth high up, follow the natural tunnels until you reach a hewn spiral staircase going down, descend to a level of empty chambers - until recently used by slavers - and follow another labyrinthine network of natural tunnels. Layout 1. Entrance The entrance to the settlement is decorated by elaborate carvings in the wall depicting glorious scenes of Dwarves doing battle with Wendigos, Dragons and other mythical creatures. Two statues of Dwarven miners with their sledgehammers flank the entrance itself. The decorative pillars announce that this is the property of the Bulloch clan. The Bullochs were a clan that was known for two things: # They were obsessed with finding new methods to improve their smithing talents. Many dark rumours tell of their experiments to infuse blood, unstable magic and even souls into their forging. # They were eradicated when they attempted to bring down an adult Wendigo. 2. Guard Post The old guard station shows signs of recent habitation. One of its rooms has Draconic runes drawn on the doorframe, easily identified as a simple alarm spell of some sorts. It was found to be defunct when Cael and his companions investigated it, although the bear fur inside the room was still in good condition and hid a packet of crypt powder. 3. Well Most of the chambers inside the main cavern - which, at its highest point was still only nine feet high - were dusty and had little of value. One of the northern rooms, protected by arcane glyphs painted with rat's blood, held several sacks of silver coins and jewelry, as well as seven crates of iron ingots, all of which were stamped with the coat of arms of the Bulloch clan. The sacks and five of the crates were removed by two parties, leaving two full crates behind. The only room of note in the northern part is the well, which still provides plentiful clean drinking water. 4. Stone Golem As with the northern chambers, the southern ones held little of value. Johan Clark was fortunate enough to find a whetstone of superior quality amongst the rubble. A secret tunnel connecting two sections is bared. The most interesting room appears to be a shrine of some kind: a statue of a Dwarven miner - a small copy of the two big statues at the entrance - stands on a pedestal with a bronze brazier in front of him. The air still holds traces of the scent of burned herbs. Zekaroz discovered that this was not a statue at all, but a construct of some kind that lacked its power cell. 5. Golem Storage Behind heavy stone doors stand eight more inactive constructs like the one found in Location 4. Zekaroz felt that, unlike the aforementioned one, these still had some latent energies inside them. He also discovered that, with careful twisting of the hammerhead, he could remove it to gain access to a hole in the statue's chest. This was presumably the place to put an energy source. 6. Owls' Nests This foul-smelling cave holds the remains of two large nests, made of scraps of fabric, dead plants and other debris. The stalagmite in front of the entrance used to hold four humanoids prisoners tied to it, with their intestines hanging out. When Maize and his companions investigated this location, four hairless, canine creatures wriggled free from the corpses to try and feed on the intruders. Fortunately, they failed to do so. 7. Pond The pond in this cave holds clear water and eyeless white fish. A narrow underwater cave buries through the southern wall. Events * A group of mercenaries ambushed a party, but were embarrassingly useless. The party showed mercy and spared them, allowing them to leave without their weapons after having provided them with information. * Two humanoid women with their faces resembling twisted hybrisd of human and owl apparently slid out of the cave walls to attack a party. Their talon-like hands raked at the adventurers, making deep cuts into their flesh, and their own wounds immediately filled up with brown and black feathers. Eventually, however, one of them was killed and the other one turned into an owl and flew away. * A Drow was propped up against a rock, his upper body skinned from his head down to his collar bones. A silver coin, which Zekaroz took, had been placed in his mouth. * Another group of mercenaries ambushed a party, but proved just as inefficient as their erstwhile comrades. They were not spared. * One of the mercenaries, frightened by Maize's powerful warhammer, ran away. Zekaroz and Bodar ran after him and saw how the coward bumped into a walking clay statue, which picked him up, tore his head off, and drank his blood which caused it to grow. In the ensuing fight, the clay statue was fortunately too slow to hit anyone, and it was beaten down into a paste by the combined powers of Bodar and Maize. Category:Bulloch Mine